Debt recovery firm has my new phone number

Cuilean

Background in a nutshell - hubby and I moved to the countryside about a month ago, and signed up with Virgin Media for phone, TV and broadband. We're a very boring, sensible, debt-free white British (That will become relevant in a minute) couple, who bought the house from the elderly gent who had it built for his family in the 60s.

For the last fortnight, I've had calls from 03333 440145, and a few similar variants. A little Googling reveals they're a debt collection agency using various names (Red Recovery / MKRR / Welcome Finance Limited from Lowell Group).

Every time, they ask for a man called Mohammed, and I tell them there is no Mohammed at our address. They insist there is, I say there isn't, and we go round in circles for a while before they apologise and promise to take the number off their records.

I do feel sorry for them in a way - someone has either given them the wrong number to get out of speaking to them, or we've been given a recycled number by Virgin. Not their fault.

Today I've had another phone call from 0333 440145, and had the "Can I speak to Mohammed?" game again. It's not really funny any more, and I'd like them to stop it. I have a phone which can be programmed to block numbers, but they call from a variety of 0333 numbers, so even if I block one, they still seem to get through from another outgoing number they have access to.

What am I doing/saying wrong? I'm very polite to them, and they always say they'll remove the number, but they obviously haven't done so properly. I've even emailed their parent group and politely asked them to remove the number. What next to make them stop calling?

AJXX

Next time they ring politely ask for a manager.

Explain (nicely) that you've just got this number etc... and that you've already explained on multiple occasions that "mohammed" can not be contacted on this number, yet the calls continue.

State that you feel harassed and will take it further legally if the calls keep coming.

Ask for the managers name/direct contact details (if possible) as this will likely make them realise that they'll be responsible if they don't do something.

enfield_freddy

when you moved , I take it you got a new phone number?


un used phone numbers are recycled and reused , contact virgin and ask them to change the number.

photome

Hope you get it sorted.

I have been having calls for Mary (I am male) for 20 YEARS. they say they will take my number off the database but its different people all the time.

20 YEARS!!!!!

r2015

Have they just got your number or do they also have your name and address?


If they just have your number say that you are Mohammed and agree to anything they say and if they ask for the address make something up.


Next time they phone go who? keep repeating for ever.


I do that it keeps me amused in my old age.

jb66

Best to ask for a new number

Nodding_Donkey

I had this with a recycled virgin number. They didn't give up/run out of numbers for a couple of years. I quite understand the frustration but some sort of call blocker is the only answer, just keep adding their numbers to it and eventually they will run out of new ones to use.

soolin

For 4 months at end of last year beginning of this we were plagued with calls from numerous agencies, loan providers, bailiffs etc for a Danielle and occasionally a Daniel (could be someone misreading the name). We were usually getting calls at around 3-4 pm and then around 8pm at night, every single day.

Most companies were very helpful , we even got postcodes out of some and this person lived a few miles from us. They always promised to take our number off their system, but different companies kept calling. Some were a bit aggressive though and would not accept I wasn't Danielle, one even insisted she had just spoken to them on the phone and it was definitely the same person and I was a liar.

From what we could glean Danielle was trying to get a loan , without success it seems. We then got bailiffs who were also very nice and when I asked them if we faced issues at our address, he told us the address he was going to collect from, it wasn't ours so he told us not to worry as it appeared only our phone number was being used. Some companies asked for our address, but we never ever gave them that or our names.

At the end we started to get calls from debt companies , but then it all just stopped. We never had anyone call at the house, nor did we ever receive anything in the post.

This was all on our landline which we have had with BT in the same number for 20 years or more.

lisa701

We never had any problems until we transferred our phone from O2 to Sky. We kept the same number we had been given by O2 about 5 years earlier and until now had experienced no problems.
Within days of the transfer we were bombarded with calls from debt collectors who either never answered when you picked up the phone or were looking for people we had never heard of. They would become very rude when you politely told them you didn't know of the person.


We asked for a new number, but was told there were no new numbers available, only recycled ones, so we would probably have the same problems.


I now don't bother answering the phone unless I know the number, and if I need to give out a number for companies to contact me I have a cheap pay as you go mobile for that - easy to change sim should I start getting trash calls on there.


I agree some sort of call blocker would be best option and just keep blocking the numbers.

System

I think, some people that get a loan or credit card give out phone numbers which are incorrect for them on purpose. They do this so they can't be contacted by phone as they will not bother to make a payment.

Unfortunately, many times these false numbers actually are real numbers belonging to innocent people.

I have worked in collections for a bank. The dialler rang the numbers on the accounts. If the phone number goes to a wrong number, we released the call in a different manner. We put the call as wrong number and then removed the called number from the account. Then typed SWN (supplied wrong number) Obviously, we could tell if the person was not them based on their gender and such as in the OP, the customer has a non-white name. Then the number will not be rang again. Then my employer has to chase the actual customer by other means such as another phone number, if another one on their account or by postal.

Why can't the debt collectors do that?

The thing is when you open a new financial product, you only supply them with proofs of name and address. Cannot give proof of a phone number if the mobile is PAYG.

Fluff15

I had one of these once - kept asking for a Mr Hall and one of them even had the cheek to ask me whether I was lying! On that occasion I was quite rude (which for most people's standards it was still pretty polite) and told him that I suggest they stop calling, as I have had this number for the past three years and don't even know anybody by that name, and if they call again I will consider it harassment. The calls stopped after that.